Have you ever been snubbed by someone you thought was a friend? Do you remember how it felt? Most of us have experienced the cold shoulder at one point in our life, and often it had nothing to do with anything we did. It had more to do with the other person’s issues. Regardless of the cause, it doesn’t feel good and can cause hurt feelings.
READ MORE: THE SILENT TREATMENT
Does your daughter struggle with being accepted by others? Has she been ignored or snubbed by friends? Here are some ways to help her:
1) Talk to your daughter about her feelings. Let her know that ostracism from friends is often caused by jealousy or a threat to one’s position in a certain clique.
2) Encourage her to stay the course and maintain daily activities. The more she continues a normal routine, the more she will feel secure.
3) Urge her to seek out friends who will let her be herself and will not be jealous of her successes or victories. True friends cheer each other on and are not threatened by what other friends accomplish.
I often think of how Jesus felt when we refused to accept Him.
He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. (John 1:10-11)
Can you imagine how hurt He was when one of His friends betrayed Him and another refused even to acknowledge Him?
A servant girl saw him seated there in the firelight. She looked closely at him and said, “This man was with him.” But he denied it. “Woman, I don’t know him,” he said. (Luke 22:56-57)
Jesus is the perfect example of how we should handle rejection from others. He did not avoid or run from others, nor did He protect His feelings by ending the friendships. He continued to love, reach out, touch and restore relationships with those who rejected Him.
